Traveling conveyor



Oct. 6, 1964 n. s. NELsoN 3,151,726

TRAVELING CONVEYOR Filed Aug. 4, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR DONA/ 0 .5'. NELSON SYM] fu/M4,

ATTORNEY Oct. 6, 1964 D, s. NELSON 3,151,726

TRAVELING CONVEYOR Filed Aug. 4, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR DON/:w 5. NELSv/V BY EM,

ATTORNEYS oct. 6, 1964 65.651.561 3,151,726

' TRAVELING coNvEYoR Filed Aug. 4, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 f/f INVENTOR L-:I/y @oN/uo s. NELSON :s wm, @MMM ATTORNEY:

United States Patent O 3,151,726 TRAVELING CONVEYOR Donald S. Nelson, 18437 Commerce St., Dallas 1, TeX. Filed Aug. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 129,305 15 Claims. (Cl. 198-16) This invention is a passenger conveyor of the continuously traveling type, for use particularly at airports, but also capable of use in railway and bus terminals, stores and the like. The conveyor also carries the hand baggage of the passenger.

The conveyor comprises a traveling floor, and side walls joined integrally with the oor along their junction lines so that there is no crack at such junction lines; such cracks are undesirable and dangerous, in that the foot of a passenger, especially that of a child, or a cane or an umbrella, might get caught in such a crack.

The conveyor also comprises a hand rail, joined integrally with the upper edges of the side walls, without a crack at such junction. This hand rail is made eXtra Wide for carrying the passengers hand baggage.

The traveling floor, side walls and hand rail are made of any suitable, flexible and elastic material, such for example, as natural or synthetic rubber, such as neoprene, or one or more of the well known synthetic plastics, such as vinyl plastic, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chlorides, etc.

The floor, two walls and hand rails form in effect a trough, where the whole assembly moves along as a unit, with a minimum of danger of having a passenger catch his hand or foot or clothing in any part thereof. The conveyor is entirely flexible, which is necessary for reversing the direction of travel at the ends of the conveyor.

The conveyor is provided with reenforcing cables moulded therein, two such cables being near the respective junction of the oor and side wall, and two more at the outer part of the hand rail. These moulded in cables provide longitudinal projections which t into xed slotted guides for holding the conveyor in place.

Further advantages of construction and operation will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating a preferred way or" carrying out the invention.

In these drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one end of the conveyor.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing approximately one-half of the conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section on line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic View, showing the conveyor making a turn.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view of one end of the conveyor, partly in section.

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6 6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic plan View of the entire conveyor.

Referring now to these drawings, the conveyor comprises a floor 2 on the underside of which is a sheet 4 of some material such as Teon or the like, which is readily slidable on base member 6. The sheet 4 is provided with transverse corrugations 10, which serve as gear teeth, as will be explained'.

Joined integrally with oor 2 are side walls 12 along their contiguous meeting edges 13 so that there is no crack where they join. The upper edges of side walls 12 are joined integrally and flexibly with hand rail or guide rail 14, at 15. Rail 14 has spaced parallel ridges 16 deiining a baggage space therebetween.

In order to guide and control the conveyor, exible cables 18 are moulded into extensions of floor 2, thereby forming longitudinal guide ribs 20, which slidably engage in slotted guides 22 carried by ioor 6.

3,l5l,726 Patented Oct. 6, 1964 Flexible cables 24 are also moulded into extension 26 of the guide rail, thereby forming longitudinal guide ribs 2S.

Guide rail 14 slides on a guide plate 343, the underside of guide rail 14 being surfaced with Teon or the like for minimizing friction. On the top surface of guide plate 30 could be surfaced with a similar friction reducing material. Guide plate 35i includes a slotted guide 32 into which the ribs 28 carrying cables 24 slidably engage.

Guide plates 3@ are supported by two-part telescoping standards 34, the vertical height of which is adjustable by threaded engagement between the parts, the lock pin 35 serving to hold them in adjusted position.

In order to support side walls 12, inside supporting panels 36, braced by one or more brackets 37 from standards 34, bear lightly against walls 12.

The outside of the conveyor, FIG. 2 is provided with a covering and supporting panel 38 secured at any convenient points 39 to the conveyor structure.

In order to make a reverse turn at one end, the conveyor is tilted 90 into a vertical plane so that the turn is made about a vertical axis, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The structural features for effecting the reverse turn and for maintaining the proper tension on the conveyor and for driving it, are shown in FIG. 5. The reverse turn is made by passing the bottom portion of the conveyor, that part having the transverse corrugations 16, around a toothed wheel 40 having corrugations or gear teeth 42 thereon which mesh with corrugations or teeth 10 of conveyor door 2. Gear wheel 4u is mounted on shaft 44 in suitable bearings 46. The shaft 44 is provided with driving pulleys 48 and driving belts 50, to form a drive for the conveyor.

As shown in FIG. 5, framing members 43 mounted on the Walls 43A support the guide plates 30 and guide rails 14, and diagonal framing members 43B, supported by 43, support and guide the slotted guides 22.

In order to maintain proper tension on the conveyor, shaft 44 and its gear wheel 4t) are spring pressed to the right, by means of compression springs 52 arranged in pairs, pressing against shaft bearings 46. The tension on the springs can be varied as desired, as by having their respective abutments 54 variably positionable on the supporting frame.

The mechanism for eecting the reverse U-turn shown in FIG. 5 is underneath and beyond the right hand end of the conveyor as shown in FIG. l.

As shown at the right or FIG. 5, the walls 12 and hand rails 14 are spread apart or somewhat ilattened, for facilitating the turn. Slotted guideways 22 near each edge of the conveyor iioor, and slotted guideways 32 at the outer edge of the hand rail, are provided as before. Guide plates 30 for the hand rail 14 are provided as before. Guide plates 3G for the hand rail 14 are provided as shown. One or more guides 56, diagranunatically shown in FIG. 4, are provided for starting the conveyor on its turn.

Further guiding and propelling means for the conveyor are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7. In addition to the main drive gear wheel 40, additional and similar auxiliary guide and gear wheels 49A are provided. These gear and guide wheels 49A turn on vertical axes, are provided with teeth like teeth 42 on wheel 4Q, which engage with corrugations 1G of the conveyor. Wheels 46A are driven by chain or belt drives 60 from driven shaft 44 FIG. 5. Wheels 443A are preferably provided with bearings spring pressed toward the conveyor, analogous lto the springs pressed bearings 46, 52 for shaft 44. A centrally positioned motor 62 drives the drive belts 5h FIG. 5, for shaft 44.

As shown in FIG. 1, the movable floor 2 of the conveyor passes beneath the fixed floor at 64, and the guide rails 14 sloped downwardly toward and into the fixed floor, so that any baggage thereon slides onto the lixed floor.

In order to keep the conveyor clean, a rotating brush 66 maybe provided, conforming to the shape of the conveyor as it makes the turn, as in FTG. 5. This brush is on a shaft 68 driven by a chain 70 engaging with sprocket 72 on shaft 63, cha-in 7i) being driven in any convenient way.

been described in some detail, it should be understood that the disclosure is illustrative rather than restrictive and that the invention may be carried out in other ways, as falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A passenger conveyor, comprising a at iiem'ble, continuously extending traveling lioor; exible, continuous, and continuously traveling side Walls and flat, flexible,

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has i continuously extending and continuously traveling hand Y rails, said oor, side walls and hand rails being integrally united at their respective junctions for simultaneous movement, said door and side Walls and hand rails being of exible material for passing around curves, and horizontal supports positioned beneath said hand rails, for slidablyV Y,

supporting them.

2. The combination of claim l, further including ex- `ible cable means secured to at least one of said continuously traveling members for propelling the conveyor.

3. A passenger conveyor, comprising a fiat exible, continuously extending traveling oor; flexible, continuous,

and continuously traveling side Walls and flat, flexible, continuously extending and continuously traveling hand rails, said iioor, side walls and hand rails being made of synthetic, flexible plastic material for passing around curves, flexible cable means moulded into said synthetic llexible plastic material for propelling the conveyor, and horizontal supports positioned beneath said hand rails, for slidably supporting them.

4. A passenger conveyor, comprising a at flexible, continuously extending traveling oor; ilexible, continuous, and continuously traveling side walls and at, exible, continuously extending and continuously traveling hand rails, said floor, side walls and hand rails being made of synthetic, flexible plastic material for passing around curves, and being integrally united along their respective junction lines, flexible cable means moulded into said synthetic flexible plastic material for propelling the conveyor, and horizontal supports positioned beneath said hand rails, for slidably supporting them.

5. A passenger conveyor, comprising a flat llexible, continuously extending traveling floor; liexible, continuous, and continuously traveling side walls and flat, exible, continuously extending and continuously traveling hand rails, said iloor, side walls and hand rails being made of synthetic, ilexible plastic material for passing around curves, iexible cables secured along opposite edges of the floor, for propelling the conveyor, and horizontal supports positioned beneath said hand rails, for slidably supporting them.

traveling door and two substantially vertical, continuous side walls liexibly joined together along their longitudinal `meeting edges, means for propelling the floor and side walls, together as a unit, means at the ends of the conveyor for guiding and turning the floor and side walls about about a vertical axis for effecting a U-turn of and means for guiding 'and turning the floor and side walls about 90 about a vertical axis in the reverse direction after the U-turn has been effected.

8. The combination of claim 7, further including a power driven brush engageable with .the floor of the conveyor as it makes its U-turn.

9. A continuously traveling passenger conveyor, comprising a continuously extending and continuously traveling vioor and continuously extending and continuously traveling side walls flexibly joined together along their longitudinal meeting edges, hand rails flexibly joined to the upper longitudinal 'edges of said side walls, means for propelling the floor, side walls and hand rails together as a unit, means at the ends of the conveyor for turning the I conveyor about 90 about a vertical axis and for spreading the walls and guide rails away from the Iconveyor oor, for effecting a U-turn, and means for turning the Walls and hand rails about 90 about a vertical axis -in the reverse direction after the U-turn has been elected.

10. The combination of claim 7, further includinga power driven brush, engageable with the Voor and side walls of the conveyor as it makes its U-turn.

11. A continuously traveling passenger conveyor comprising a flexible horizontal tloor, continuously extending, continuously traveling, substantially vertical flexible side walls, having their lower edges joined integrally with the lateral longitudinal edges of the floor, a flexible, continuously extending and continuously traveling horizontal hand and baggage rail joined integrally with Vthe upper longitudinal edge of one side wall, a horizontally extending support below the hand and baggage rail for supporting said rail, and a propelling cable secured in the lateral longitudinal edges of said floor.

12. The combination of claim 11, further including a second propelling cable molded into said hand and baggage rail.

l13. The combination of claim 11, further including a vertically extending, substantially dat support on the outside of said vertically extending side walls, for supporting said side walls.

14. A continuously traveling passenger conveyor, comprising a substantially at, flexible floor made of plastic material, and upwardly extending lateral side walls joined to said floor along the longitudinal edges of said iloor, lthe underside of said floor being provided with a plurality of transversely extending gear teeth, a transversely extending gear Wheel at one -end of lsaid conveyor around which the said oor passes, the teeth of said gear wheel meshing with said gear teeth of the floor in driving relationship, and means for'dr'iving -saidfgear wheel.

15. The combination of claim 14, further including variably positionable, spring mounted bearings for the shaft of said gear wheel.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,142 Bowers Jan. 12, 1897 765,648 Baltzey July 19, 1904 766,013 Baldwin July 26, 1904 2,753,980 Ballard July 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,038,277 France Sept. 28, 1953 

14. A CONTINOUSLY TRAVELING PASSENGER CONVEYOR, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT, FLEXIBLE FLOOR MADE OF PLASTIC MATERIAL, AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING LATERAL SIDE WALLS JOINED TO SAID FLOOR ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID FLOOR, THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FLOOR BEING PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING GEAR TEETH, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENING GEAR WHEEL AT ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR AROUND WHICH THE SAID FLOOR PASSES, THE TEETH OF SAID GEAR WHEEL MESH- 